Speak out against Mayos!

Image from FBU website

“It’s always the blacks. Always.” … “You’d think they’d be more concerned about the Muslim takeover of this country” … “Vile Muslim scum now infecting our country” …

These are among the tweets of a recent national executive member just expelled from (or more exactly, barred from membership of) the Fire Brigades Union. What is going on?

• More, including some of Grant Mayos' social media posts, at original post at southlondonsocialist.wordpress.com

In October 2024, General Secretary Matt Wrack wrote on behalf of the union to brigade secretaries (see below) informing them that a firefighter not long ago prominent in the FBU, and a member of its Executive Council, has now been barred from membership due to racist and fascist social media posts. This included promotion of fascist organisation Britain First and of Tommy Robinson.

The person in question is Grant Mayos, who was Executive Council member for the Welsh region until 2020. Until shortly before this storm hit, Mayos was prominently involved in the right-wing “Campaign for a Democratic FBU” blog and social media operation – more on this below.

FBU activists and officers raised the alarm nationally after tweets from Mayos came to light expressing open and extreme racism, including straightforward attacks on black and Muslim people (“… it’s always the blacks. Always.” … “You’d think they’d be more concerned about the Muslim takeover of this country. But no!”); and retweets of and approving comments on tweets from far-right accounts including Britain First, its leader Paul Golding, and Tommy Robinson.

The latter included Mayos retweeting a post talking about “hordes of vile Muslim scum now infecting our country” and commenting in support of one promoting the far right’s racist “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory. He also used Twitter to attack black and minority ethnic FBU activists.

After some hesitation, I have included some screenshots of Mayos’ Twitter activity below, at the end of the article.

Following the FBU’s rules, the matter was referred to a national Disciplinary Committee. Prior to the hearing, Mayos announced his resignation from the union. As recently as April he had announced on social media his intention to stand for North Wales FBU Brigade Secretary; but clearly now that he had been caught squarely he felt his position was unviable. Around the same time he made his Twitter account private, though screenshots had already been taken and were in circulation.

As the General Secretary explained in the circular to brigade secretaries: “The Disciplinary Committee considered [the fact of Mayos’ resignation from the FBU] and, having also considered the seriousness of the alleged offences, decided to proceed. The Disciplinary Committee concluded that, had the individual remained a member they would have been expelled and that a note to this effect should be placed on the FBU’s records. The individual is now barred from membership of our union.”

The circular went on: “Officials will be well aware of the dangers of division and discrimination from those promoting racism. This case was alarming and unprecedented; we have no records of a member or official previously facing disciplinary action for the promotion of fascism or a fascist organisation. Fascism is a deadly enemy of the trade union movement. Fascists in power have entirely smashed the trade union and wider workers’ movement, including through the murder, torture and mass imprisonment of trade union activists and organisers, through the robbery and seizure of trade union property and through the utter destruction of all trade union organisation.”

I hope it is clear this is not just a matter of someone holding mistaken or reactionary opinions. Mayos’ conduct is in violent contradiction with the broad ethos of the FBU and the wider labour movement (and, as firefighter comrades have pointed out, of firefighting as a profession). Well done to comrades in Wales and nationally who acted energetically on principle. Matt Wrack rightly commented: “This was a shocking case.”

While the case is undoubtedly unprecedented, it would be wrong to assume it could not reflect a wider issue. Another FBU activist, an official of the union’s South East London Area, is also currently suspended for sharing far-right material on social media, in a way similar to Mayos. More broadly, is the left underestimating the extent to which the now global surge of far-right organisation and and right-wing ideas could be finding expression in our unions (not just the FBU)? How do we fight such a threat?

Paul Embery and the “Campaign for a Democratic FBU”

There is also a broader problem. Mayos was at least until recently one of the very small number of people running the so-called “Campaign for a Democratic FBU” (“CDFBU”). He was until recently listed on the “CDFBU” website as its chair; in May 2024 he tweeted about his role in the “campaign”. According to the group’s own Twitter account he ceased being involved only in August 2024. There is no dispute that this was a very long time after the start of the stream of racist and fascist tweets for which has was subsequently barred from the union. (See below for screenshots evidencing this too.)

The “Campaign for a Democratic FBU” is a website, Twitter account and Facebook page dedicated to attacking the leadership of the FBU. It combines claims about democracy in the union that on closer inspection typically turn out to be misleading or insubstantial with muck-raking against its senior leadership, as well as clearly right-wing political arguments (for instance attacks on the FBU’s pro-migrants’ rights and pro-trans rights stances). Its posts are sometimes widely shared and circulated, though usually mostly by people not in the FBU.

These latest developments surely reaffirm that the “CDFBU” is not a trustworthy or reliable source of information or argument for FBU or any other labour movement activists or members. In fact it affirms the opposite: that its existence and any influence it has are poisonous and alarming.

It seems unlikely Mayos could have continued to be so active in the FBU – to the extent of seeking to stand for North Wales secretary earlier this year – without the connections and support of the “CDFBU”.

Paul Embery, a much better known figure than Mayos, is still listed as “CDFBU” Secretary.  A former left-winger still claiming to be on the left, and certainly not in the same category as Mayos, Embery is very much and increasingly a person of the nationalist right (as even a glance at his website and Twitter will confirm). For some socialist analysis of Embery’s evolution, see here and here; for more on the wider trend in the labour movement of which he is a high-profile case, here and here.

While I have no doubt Embery genuinely holds right-wing views, there also seems to be a strong element of self-promotion, of taking stances that will boost his role as a right-wing media personality.

The bio on his website begins “I am a firefighter, trade union activist, writer and broadcaster”; the description of him as a firefighter is much repeated by the right-wing media outlets that host and report on him. If I’ve understood rightly, however, he hasn’t been on a shout since 2008, when he went on full-time release as a London regional FBU officer. In 2019, when he was debarred from office by a special FBU conference, he chose not to return to a station; I believe got a role at London Fire Brigade HQ.

Why was Embery debarred? Because he spoke at a nationalist rally with Nigel Farage and leading right-wing Tories.

“CDFBU”’s response to the revelations about Mayos has simply been to remove reference to him from the website. Neither the “campaign” nor Embery has commented on the affair – presumably a combination of factional opportunism and a desire to avoid alienating supporters (not necessarily in the FBU) who sympathise with the far right. That too reinforces what the “CDFBU” is and represents.

Speak out!

So far so bad. But also concerning is the silence about all this from many who are broadly at least on the left.

The FBU is in the midst of a General Secretary election, with Executive Council member and Vice President Steve Wright challenging Matt Wrack. I am supporting Matt Wrack, and the developments and issues discussed here have strongly reinforced that decision. I’d be pleased to be corrected, but as far as I can see Steve Wright and his campaign have said nothing about Mayos’ exposure and expulsion; neither have any of his prominent supporters. This is not to question the opposition of Steve’s campaign to racism and fascism; but it is to question what they are doing about it here.

This may be part of a wider opportunism. Since the election was announced, the “Campaign for a Democratic FBU” has turned its website and social media into a vocal “Oust Wrack, elect Wright” campaign. When previously challenged about their views on “CDFBU” and its dishonest and vicious attacks on Matt Wrack and others, many of those now silent on Mayos have evaded or waffled. But saying nothing about the exposure of the group’s links to the far right is more serious.

This is surely an opportunity for both candidates and their supporters to unite in a clear, vocal and active stand against racism and fascism (a stand that Matt Wrack has already taken).

As explained above, the Mayos affair is a matter of the utmost seriousness, with significant implications for the FBU but also far beyond. The idea I’ve heard from some, that it is better not to comment on this, simply makes no sense.

How can the FBU plausibly and effectively speak out about the far right and racism in society if a swathe of its leaders and activists don’t talk to our members about far-right infiltration and racist propaganda in our own union?

Though Mayos is gone from the FBU, questions about his influence and that of his allies, and certainly of the kind of ideas he champions, remain. In addition to explicitly right-wing and racist material, the poison spread by the “CDFBU” should be a matter of grave concern for all members, particularly socialists in the union. I would expect officers and activists – particularly those asking to be elected to positions of leadership – to speak out to alert members about what happened with Mayos and why the union was absolutely right to take action. And to clearly repudiate and condemn the “Campaign for a Democratic FBU”.

• The FBU’s public statement about Mayos affair
• Report by the Guardian